Followers

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Our steadfast and industrious volunteer David Swain is currently working on a finding aid on the
British Colonial Papers for Georgia. Previously, David toiled for three years at the David Library creating a finding aid for the British Colonial Papers for East and West Florida. David notes that in the run up to the Revolution,
Georgia is an interesting place, located between more
“patriot” South Carolina and more “loyalist” East and West Florida.
Recently, he came across a rather extraordinary letter written by Georgia Governor
James Wright in Savannah to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Earl
of Dartmouth, in London. David wrote the following introduction to Wright's letter to put it in historical context. His transcription of the letter follows in italics.

By August 1774, Royal Colonial Governor James Wright of
Georgia had become a frustrated man.As
governor since 1760, Wright combined the practical skills of a political and administrative
leader with the ideals of a strongly patriotic British gentleman.For most of 14 years, Wright’s two most
important preoccupations had been economic development, especially through a
nascent silk industry, and maintaining peaceful relations with the Indians on
whose lands Georgia was founded and was expanding.

In the early years, loyalty to British sovereignty was a
given not to be questioned.Wright never
questioned it, but, beginning with the controversy in 1765-66 over Britain’s
Stamp Act, inhabitants of the American colonies began, in varying degrees, to
question America’s proper relationship with the British Empire.

By 1774, questioning led to debates, which led to protests
and resolutions asserting American rights, which led to royal governmental attempts
to quash “illegal” activities, which further fanned the flames of insipient
rebellion.

Georgia played something of a transition role geographically.In Charleston, South Carolina to the north,
the Sons of Liberty were active and influential.In St. Augustine, East Florida to the south,
virtually no rebellious movement developed.In Savannah, Georgia, more of a protest movement developed than Governor
Wright wished for, but it remained relatively weak—partly at least because of
the Governor’s considerable political and administrative skills and his
rock-solid British loyalism.

Still, in August 1774, Wright had grown both frustrated and
pessimistic.In an extraordinary letter
dated August 24, Wright allowed himself to express his personal uncertainties
and fears to his “boss,” Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Earl of
Dartmouth.This was an official,
numbered letter, yet it strayed from the usual content of reports,
justification of actions taken, and requests for assistance into a morass of
personal doubt and uncertain speculation.The convoluted nature of Wright’s sentence structure suggests the unrest
within his mind.Yet, through this fog,
Wright’s pessimistic speculations were remarkably on target for what was to
come starting the following April in faraway Massachusetts Bay—an American
revolution, which eventually swallowed up Wright’s royal colony of Georgia.

Savannah in Georgia the 24th of Augst
1774

My Lord

In mine of July the 25th No. 23 & August the
13 No. 24 I acquainted your Lordship that I should give you a full account of
the Conduct & Proceedings of the Liberty People here, as soon as I knew for
certain what they did or meant to do, and I mentioned that Some Papers were
preparing by which I believed it would appear that these Resolutions were not
the voice of the People, but unfairly & insolently made by a Junto of a
very few only but which Papers are not yet Completed.

everything my Lord was done that would be thought of, to
Frustrate their attempt, but this did not totally Prevent it.They have been strongly invited by the
Carolina Sons of Liberty, who have been Suffered to do whatever they Pleased
without the least mark of disapprobation or attempt to Check them, that I have
heard of. and now again my Lord as in
the time of the Stamp act, I am to be Reflected upon & abused for opposing
the licentiousness of the People and its thrown out “Why should
our Governor do so & so when the People in Carolina have gone Greater
Lengths than we have, and the Governor has not taken any notice of it”In short my Lord at such times as these if a
man has Resolution & integrity Enough to stand forth & attempt to do
his duty its Like being set up as a mark to be shot at, and Raising the
Resentment of great numbers against himHowever altho’ this is very disagreeable I shall not Regard it.

I have been Informed of another Summons & meeting to be
in St. John Parish on the 30th inst, and my Lord as long as these
kind of Summonses and meetings are Suffered a Private Man to take upon him to
Summons a Whole Province to Consult upon & redress Public grievances, or
support Grievances, I apprehend there will be nothing but Cabals &
Combinations and the Peace of the Province & minds of the People
continually Heated disturbed & distracted and the Proclamation Issued
against them is termed arbitrary & oppressive & an attempt to debar
them of their natural and Law

full Rights & priviledges.In short my Lord if these Calls &
meetings are considered as illegal & improper it will require the
interposition of higher Authority to remedy the Evil.for the executive Powers of Government in the
Colonies are too weak to rectify such abuses, and Prosecutions would only be
Laughed at and no Grand Jury woud [would] fine [find] a Bill of Indictment and
the Persons ordering & carrying them on probably Insulted and abused.

James Wright

And now I am mentioning these matters Permit me my Lord to
say how things appear to me. and I
conceive that the Licentious Spirit in America has received Such Countenance
& Encouragement from many Persons, Speeches, and declarations, at the time
of the Stamp act, and ever since in Great Britain, and has now gone to so great
a length and is at such a height, that neither Coercive or Lenient measures
will settle matters and Restore any tolerable Degree of Cordiality &
Harmony with the mother Country.And in
short things & circumstances in America have increased so fast, and at this time so amazingly exceed what at the
first Settling and Planting the Colonies could Possibly have been Supposed or
expected and America is now become, or Indisputably ere long will be, such a
vast, Powerfull & opulent Country or Dominion, that I Humbly Conceive in
order to Restore & Establish Real & Substantial Harmony affection &
Confidence & that Great Britain may receive that benefit & advantage
which She has a Right to expect from the Colonies it may be found advisable to
Settle the Line with respect to Taxation &c by some new mode or
Constitution, and without which my real and candid opinion is, that however
matters may be got over at present & whatever appearance there may be of
amity & union the Flame will only be smothered for a time & break out
again at some future day with more Violence.

But be these things as they may I doubt not that your
Lordship will Judge it is absolutely necessary that they are brought to a Point
& Clearly Settled and Established Some how or other, and not Suffered to
Remain as they are, nothing but Jealousies, Rancour, and ill Blood.Law & no Law, Government & no Government, Dependence and Independence,
if I may be allowed the expressions and every thing unhinged and Running into
Confusion, so that in short a Man hardly knows what to do, or how to act and
its a most disagreeable State to one who Wishes to Support Law Government &
Good order & to discharge his duty with Honor and integrity.

I beg Pardon my Lord for Presuming to Touch on the Grand
& very delicate Point, but Trust that my Zeal for His Majesty’s Service
& to discharge my duty in every Respect with the Utmost integrity will
Plead my excuse, But my Lord if any alteration should be thought of yet
Previous to any thing of this kind intire Submission & obedience to the
Sovereignty of Great Britain, and Satisfaction for all Private damages &
Injuries ought to be exacted & fully Complied with in & by all the
Colonies.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Guest blogger Jacob Quasius was an undergraduate fellow at the David Library this summer through the Library's partnership with Lycoming College, where Jacob is now a senior. When asked to write about his experience as a resident researcher at the David Library, he wanted to describe how he shared it with his family.

Growing up in northern New Jersey, I was naturally
surrounded by history. I live an hour away from New York City, two hours from
Philadelphia, a half hour from Morristown, etc., so for as long as I can remember, summer always included at least one “history trip,” whether it was a day
trip or a weekend excursion. Even our “normal” vacations typically involved a
stop at a museum or a historically significant site. As a future history major,
I loved every minute of it.

From an early age, I was an active participant in historical
discussions, frequently pestering the tour guides and reenactors with my
questions, while other kids my age paid no attention. As I got older, I became
increasingly interested in the American Revolution. Trips with my family to
Boston, Philadelphia, Trenton, Morristown and Valley Forge piqued my interest,
and this interest has continued to this day. (My friends have gotten used to me pulling over to the side of the road to read historical markers.)

My parents and grandparents noticed my interest in history, and always
encouraged me to expand on my historical knowledge. When I was still in high school, my Grandma gave me her collection of books, covering a wide variety of historical topics, and I
frequently used gift cards to add books to this collection,
including David Hackett Fischer’s Washington’s
Crossing and David McCullough's 1776.
These books later became the inspiration for the project I researched this summer at the David Library, which is centered on militia involvement in the New Jersey campaign of 1776/1777.

Now busy with college, I have less time to go on historical trips with my family, but it doesn't mean I've stopped exploring. There may be fewer of those family trips, but thankfully, there have been a number of trips sponsored by Lycoming College. Even during my month as a fellow at the David
Library, I had the opportunity to take trips to nearby Washington Crossing
Historic Park, Valley Forge National Historic Site, and some of the many historic sites in Philadelphia.

While I value the opportunities my school and this
fellowship have given me to explore my passion for history, I couldn’t help
missing my family enjoying it with me. Luckily, near the end of my fellowship,
I had the opportunity to share the David Library of the American Revolution
with my family. When they visited me at the library, I felt like I was able to
offer my parents and grandparents the same exciting feeling of making new discoveries that they provided to me
throughout my childhood.

After introducing them to the David Library reading room and showing them the online catalog, each pursued an area of special interest. My grandparents looked at how everyday citizens in the Early Republic petitioned their elected officials. Mom looked at
New Jersey census records, searching for family names with which she was familiar, while Dad perused the Washington Papers.

The David Library is a wonderful place that I grew to love through my fresh encounters with surprising collections of manuscripts, and enjoyable interactions with other scholars and like-minded history lovers. However, it was truly an amazing experience to
share the incredible collections of the David Library of the American
Revolution with my family.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Geoffrey Fisher, who completed a practicum at the David Library this past spring for credit toward his M. A. in public history from American Public University System, has prepared this article on the Penobscot Expedition, which occurred 238 years ago this month. You can come to the Library and hear Geoff make a presentation on the Battle of Brandywine on Saturday, September 9 at 3:00.

The Penobscot Expedition, July
19-August 15, 1779, was the largest naval event during the Revolutionary
War.Other than to eliminate the threat
on the Penobscot River, the Americans did not
have a clear strategic impetus for this naval engagement that resulted in a
debacle for the rebel forces. The British, on the other hand, held a clear
strategic vision for the river's and island's defenses, and the fortification
that housed the enemy soldiers. First, the construction of a fort would protect
British interests to harvest the wood from the surrounding area. Also, a fort
would project enough naval power to protect British ships while inhibiting any
designs from the Americans on seizing this strategic resource for their
fledgling navy. Second, the construction of a fort would ensure sanctuary of
the Loyalist population with the British on Nova Scotia, which was not far off. Third,
the fort could serve as a base of operations for British naval campaigns off New England.[1]

For the Penobscot
Expedition, the Massachusetts State Board of War delegated Brigadier General
Solomon Lovell to command 1,500 militiamen. General Lovell shared leadership
with Commodore Dudley Saltonstall. Saltonstall who led 40+ naval vessels during
the expedition. All told that amounted to about 344 guns. Commodore Saltonstall
also oversaw 300 marines.[2]

Saltonstall's orders were two-fold. First,
he was to take capture or eliminate all of the enemy's sea and land forces.
Second, he needed to seek a cooperative working relationship with the ground
commanders on the ground so that both, the militia and the navy, could
neutralize the enemy's forces.[3]

Arriving on
the 25th of July, the American fleet entered Magebagiduce harbor and saw three
British ships for a total of 56 guns. As they went up the waterway, the
Americans came face to face with the British northern defenses, that included
"a large fort on a regular eminence, below which were two batteries, on
the south side another battery was forming; the whole made a pretty formidable
appearance." As the Americans approached, they noticed FortGeorge's
daunting exterior. So they lobbed a few shells, which in turn led to a return
of fire from the fortified British and spirited cannonade between the two sides
ensued. This barrage of cannon fire
would not lead to any ground invasions.[4]

The
American assault on FortGeorge is broken down
into three or four main attacks. The first attack began on the 25th with
General Lovell launching his militia forces against FortGeorge
and the island that it was on, Magabagiduce. The cannon fire that broke out
between the fort's defenders and the ships holding the landing parties did not
produce the positive results that General Lovell was hoping for when he started
his offensive. Eventually, he called off his attack due to contrary winds that
prevented his entire force from landing. Lovell did not see any reason to
land the militia against a well prepared defensive position piecemeal.[1]

Even though
Lovell called off his attack against the fort and the island, the American
navy, under Commodore Saltonstall, went ahead with their attack in the early
hours of 26th by successfully landing on another island. This attack saw close
inter-service cooperation during this stage of the first assault since
"about 150 marines, led by Captain John Welsh of the Warren
and covered by the guns of the flotilla, landed on Nautilus island directly
opposite the British fort and commanding the mouth of the harbor. The Americans
drove off its defenders and captured four pieces of artillery and some
ammunition. Despite inclement weather, they also managed to get some heavier
guns ashore." A possible reason for the successful landing and the close
cooperation between the services is that this night time assault did not
experience any contrary winds rather than the attempted invasion commanded by
General Lovell. Subsequent attacks would not be so promising.[2]

The second
attack began before the sun had risen on the morning of July 28. Commodore
Saltonstall and Brigadier General Lovell launched another attack that commenced
with another showing of inter-service cooperation. The American brig Tyrannicide with its fourteen guns was
to remove the British from the woods by firing into them so that the landing
point was devoid of the enemy. The Americans landed with three units: the
marines on the right, two divisions of militia on the left and center,
respectively. As the Americans put their landing parties ashore, they received
assistance from "a heavy cannonade of round and grape shot." The
Americans sustained a loss of "a great number of men," while the
British losses were "inconsiderable." Despite sustaining heavy
casualties during the landing, the American landing parties continued to hold the
initiative.[3]

Although there
is no way to fully ascertain from the primary sources how or why the American's
second attack fizzled out, the secondary sources do mention the close
inter-service relationship that was seen in the early hours of 26th and the
opening stages of the second attack began to fall apart at the most critical
part of the battle, the taking of Fort George. An American primary source reads
that after Tyrannicide cleared the
landing point, the rebels were able to land six or seven hundred men that

killed sixteen men,
and wounded as many; our men with great resolution returned the fire, ascended
the almost impassable precipice, routed them and took possession of the hill,
killing (as they supposed) about as many as they lost, and taking a few
prisoners; from thence they advanced to a battery near the large fort, and
possessed themselves of it, with considerable artillery and baggage.

The above American primary source reads very differently
from the British account exacting a heavy toll on American invaders while
downplaying their losses.[1]

On July
31st the Americans began to plan their third attack onto the island to take the
fort. The plan for this attack was to get all of the marines ashore by midnight
and to work with the troops on land so that an attack on a breastwork south of
Fort George, which was close to British shipping, would sever the lines of
communication amongst the fort and ships. On August 1st, the Americans launched
their assault around two in the morning that opened up with a lot of energy and
determination to meet their objective. However, the defenders found their
resolve by sending out fifty men "who soon drove the enemy back, tho'
allowed to be in number above three hundred."[2]

From August
2nd-15th, it is up to debate on whether or not the fourth attempt to take FortGeorge
was an actual attack in the literal sense. In between these two weeks,
Commodore Saltonstall convened war councils on August 6th, 9th, and 10th. For
the August 6th attack, the proposed operation was dropped, however, because
Lovell's men were an unruly lot of men who could not be counted on meeting
their objective. The August 9th attack was canceled due to the risky
proposition of exposing American ships to FortGeorge's
canon without being able to return fire. As for the third and final proposed
attack on August 10th, General Lovell advocated for an attack on the British
fort, the harbor, and to bait the enemy in the smaller batteries to leave their
defensive positions and to come and fight the Americans out in the open. The
Americans attempted to do that on August 11th, but the majority of the rebels
beat a hasty retreat to their fortifications before their operation was
underway. On the night of August 11th, General Lovell called for a war council
on the Americans next moves. He believed that his forces did not have the
necessary martial strength to counter the British on the grounds of their
previous amateurish performances and cowardice, which made it easier for him to
promote the lifting of the siege that started on 12th.[3]

In the
evening of August 13th, the Americans decided to lift the siege and load the
militiamen and marines back onto the boats. While the Americans left their
cannon, accoutrements, and clambered onto their ships, the British fortified
and completed another defensive position "where they are secure[d] against
us; which at our arrival was only a breastwork, containing five or
six-pounders, which then, in all probability, we could have reduced very
easily, as also their shipping, as they have since acknowledged." The
American leadership, Commodore Saltonstall, and General Lovell could not get on
the same page on what should be done from one day to the next.[4]

On August
14th, British reinforcements entered the Penobscot bay with a half dozen
vessels. Though the Americans still held superior numbers in ships and men,
their hampered leadership and lackluster performance over nearly four weeks
made their strategic and tactical initiative in PenobscotBay
untenable. This terrible turn of events threw the navy and army into hysteria
considering that it could effect their escape out of the bay. On August 15th,
some 200 militiamen, "sailors, and marines" began their escape back
to friendly territory.[5]

From the
beginning of the expedition July 25th-August 15, the Americans lost about 500
killed or captured. One could certainly say and make an argument that the
expedition was a failure due to a deficiency in military training and untested
militiamen, marines, and sailors. With that said, attributing the American defeat
to lackluster training and unproven militiamen lets the leadership, Commodore
Dudley Saltonstall, and General Solomon Lovell, off the hook. Upon closer
inspection of the primary sources, it is not so much the rank and file's sub
standard presentation during the attacks on the island and FortGeorge
as it was their leaders' incompetence and lack of inter-service cooperation between the militiamen and the navy
that doomed the operation. The Americans fought well in the taking of NautilusIsland on July 26th and on July 28th,
the first and second attacks respectively. One could also say that there was
not a defined strategic logic and that affected the mission's objective.[1]

Close up of the data plate of the Revolutionary War cannon on display at Norumbega Parkway in Bangor, Maine. It was on a sloop that was destroyed during the Penobscot Expedition in August, 1779. The cannon was recovered in 1876.

Penobscot Bibliography

Primary Sources:

Author
Unknown. "Operations in Maine in
1779: Journal found on board the Hunter, Continental Ship," Historical Magazine, and Notes and Queries
Concerning the Antiquity, History and Biography of America
8 (1864): 51-54.

"Journal
of the Attack of the Rebels on His Majesty's Ships and Troops, Under Command
of Brig. Gen. McLean and Capt. Henry Mowatt, Commencing 24th July, 1779 at
Majebiguiduce in Penobscot Bay." From the Nova
Scotia Gazette, Halifax,
September 14, 1779. Communicated by Joseph Williamson, Esq., of Belfast. Collections of the Maine Historical Society 7 (1876):
123-126.

[3] Ibid.; Journal of the Attack of the Rebels on His
Majesty's Ships and Troops, Under Command of Brig. Gen. McLean and Capt. Henry
Mowatt, Commencing 24th July, 1779 at Majebiguiduce in Penobscot Bay. From
the Nova Scotia Gazette, Halifax, September 14, 1779. Communicated by
Joseph Williamson, Esq., of Belfast.
Collections of the Maine Historical Society 7 (1876): 123.

[4] Author
Unknown, "Operations in Maine in 1779:
Journal found on board the Hunter,
Continental Ship," Historical
Magazine, and Notes and Queries Concerning the Antiquity, History and Biography
of America,
8 (1864): 51, 52.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Oliver Shortridge graduates this spring from Temple University where he wrote a senior thesis on the history of radio manufacturing in Philadelphia. A life-long train enthusiast, Oliver works part-time at the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad in Bucks County. He was an intern at the David Library this past semester.

In my final semester as a history major at Temple University, I had the option of earning some final credits
through an internship, rather than by taking another class. Even though my focus
of study was primarily the Industrial Revolution through to the end of the Cold
War, the David Library of the American Revolution was a logical choice for an
internship for me; I live nearby, and have a personal interest in the American
Revolution.

Oliver Shortridge

To be honest, I had no concrete idea
of what I would be doing at the library, but I ended up contributing to several
projectson the library’s “to do” list.
The first big project I worked on was the newspaper digitization project, in
which I catalogued the Library’s collection of Revolutionary-era newspapers and
then photographed each of them page by page to make the fragile primary sources
available for the public. As a history student, I am no stranger to working
with primary documents, and in the many different papers I wrote for my classes,
I was usually required to find at least one primary source on the topic of
which I was writing. However, the newspaper project was really the first time I
physically got to work with primary sources. I felt privileged to be entrusted
to work with these papers and it was a humbling experience to be able to hold
an authentic newspaper from the 1770s, and skimming through them helped me
learn the vernacular of the 18th Century.

The finding aid project was an especially
satisfying one for me. As a person with mild OCD, updating already existing
finding aids and creating ones on topics like Alexander Hamilton, Benedict
Arnold, and the Continental Navy was right up my alley. I also worked with the
vertical files on personal accounts in much the same way.

The county mapping project was very
interesting to work on. I had known that the borders of different counties
changed over time, but I did not know how they changed, or even that several
counties borders have changed numerous times. It was neat to compile the
different states, and I especially enjoyed being entrusted with certain
editorial decisions regarding the finished product. In addition to both working on
projects and the day-to-day library work, I also helped people with their
research. On numerous occasions, Librarian Kathie Ludwig would have me look up
information requested by an offsite researcher, often a family historian
seekingdetails about an ancestor who
may have fought in the Revolution. I did not always find what the patron was
looking for, but when I did, and was able to say, “Yes, you are descended from
someone who helped create this country,” it was without a doubt the most
gratifying experience of my internship. (While browsing through the pension
index on behalf of one such offsite researcher, I even came across someone possibly related to me!) As my internship draws to a close, I
can look back and say that it was definitely everything I had hoped it would be
and more. I got to meet many different people and learn more about the
Revolutionary War than I had anywhere else. I have picked up some new and
useful computer and research skills, and I’ve seen up close how a library is
run.Even though I most likely will not
end up getting a job in any academic or historical institution, I am certain
that what I learned during my internship at the David Library of the American
Revolution will be of enormous help to me in my future career.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Many people tend to forget that there were African-American soldiers who served in the American Revolution, many of whom applied for and received military pensions. In honor of Black History Month, we have the story of one of these soldiers and pensioners:

Prince Freeman's discharge document,

signed by General Washington,

showing that he was honored

with the Badge of Merit.

On April 10, 1818, Prince Freeman, an African-American veteran of the Revolutionary War, applied for a pension in Windham County, Vermont. At that point, he was a farmer in Grafton, Vermont. He had first enlisted in May of 1777 as a private in Captain Bulkley's company, in the 3rd Connecticut Regiment, commanded by Samuel Blachley Webb. Freeman served until the end of the war, and was honorably discharged in 1783, on the 8th day of June. After the war, Freeman applied for a bounty land warrant, and moved to Vermont. However, his pension claims that in 1818 he was “destitute of property [and] advanced in years”—aged sixty-two; he further states that he had two young children dependent on him for support. Having been injured in the war, Freeman was unable to work, and so applied for a pension—and received it, being issued eight dollars per month under the decision of Judge Phineas White. Freeman, according to his discharge papers, was honored with the Badge of Merit (the precursor to the Purple Heart Medal) by General George Washington for his six years of service. The Badge of Merit was created by Washington for the purpose of honoring ordinary soldiers, alongside the Honorary Badges of Distinction. By creating this badge, Washington allowed for the recognition of regular soldiers, not solely officers. Not only a good deed, the Badge of Merit was an inexpensive way to honor soldiers after the Continental Congress ordered Washington to stop promoting soldiers in 1782. It is the oldest military decoration, but not the oldest award; Congress awarded the Fidelity Medallion—a civilian honor—to three privates who had captured the British spy John André, a co-conspirator of Benedict Arnold, in 1780.

The Badge of Merit

Works cited:

Johnston, Henry P., editor. The Record of Connecticut Men of the Military and Naval Service during the War of the Revolution 1755-1783. 1889. Genealogical Publishing, 1997.

Emily Bigioni is a volunteer at the David Library and a sophomore at Princeton High School. She has been volunteering since July 2016, and currently works Saturday afternoons. Emily has a love of history, and enjoys reading and researching the Library’s primary source documents.

Who We Are

The David Library of the American Revolution is a specialized research library dedicated to the study of American history circa 1750 to 1800. We are open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, admission free. The David Library is a non-profit educational institution. Our mission is the collection and dissemination of information on this early period of American history, and the support of related educational programs and scholarly research.

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